


The Bad Man

by hitokiridarkempress



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: And some FRIDAY POV, Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Hurt DUM-E, Hurt Stephen Strange, M/M, No happy ending here, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Some Stephen POV, do not copy to another site, mostly Dum-E's POV, someone's gonna get a hurt real bad, yeah I posted a russian translation of don't repost my work, Не копировать на другой сайт
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-08-20 04:55:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20222152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hitokiridarkempress/pseuds/hitokiridarkempress
Summary: Dum-E isn’t dumb. Dum-E knows that this man is the reason why Tony is gone.





	1. Dum-E

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on Tumblr first, then I decided to bring it here. If you think I can't hurt Stephen anymore already. YOU'RE DEAD WRONG!

Dum-E wondered why Tony didn’t come back. FRIDAY said Tony’s not coming back anymore. FRIDAY must be lying. Tony came back from Afghanistan and from space. So why isn’t Tony home? The bad people are gone, and Tony should be here with his family. 

Instead Dum-E sees a lot of people wearing black and crying. Dum-E doesn’t see Tony anywhere. Rhodey, Pepper, Morgan, Happy are all crying. Dum-E doesn’t understand why they’re sad. Tony is home isn’t he?

FRIDAY said Tony is gone like JARVIS. 

Dum-E broke a lot of things after hearing that. Butterfingers and U cried for a long time. Dum-E can’t get them to talk anymore.

Dum-E sees Pepper talking to a tall man who looks like Tony but not. Dum-E only heard the man say, “I’m sorry, it was the only way to save everyone. Tony had to die so everyone can live.” 

Dum-E isn’t dumb. Dum-E knows that this man is the reason why Tony is gone. Dum-E hates that man. He took Tony away. He is a bad man. Dum-E hates him for taking Tony away.

Tony says that fire hurts people, so Dum-E always makes sure fire doesn’t hurt Tony. But Tony is gone, and that man deserves to be hurt. He should hurt like Dum-E is hurt.

Dum-E picks up the blowtorch and tries to set the bad man on fire. Dum-E doesn’t care if Pepper is yelling for Dum-E to stop. Pepper is not the boss of Dum-E, only Tony. And Tony is gone. 

“Dum-E what is wrong with you?!”

Dum-E makes sure FRIDAY repeats what Dum-E wanted to say word for word to that bad man. 

“I won’t forgive you. You took Tony away. You are a bad man who don’t deserve fire safety. You killed Tony.” 

The bad man runs away after that. Good riddance, Dum-E is going to protect his family from that bad man. 

The bad man comes back sometimes, Dum-E chases him away. Dum-E doesn’t want to hear excuses on how the bad man loved Tony and misses him. Dum-E still hates him. Rhodey tries to explain that the man is sorry and is hurting on the inside.

Good, let the man hurt. And Dum-E lets the bad man know that.

The bad man doesn’t come near Dum-E and his siblings again. 


	2. Sad Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who wants me to stab Stephen in the heart? Because I'm gonna! >:D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dum-E and Butterfingers are vicious, poor Stephen...

The bad man has the nerve to come back again to talk to Pepper. The bad man always comes in when everyone else is too busy cleaning Tony's workshop. FRIDAY lets them know when the bad man leaves. Pepper forbids FRIDAY to let them know the bad man is here. But FRIDAY always lets them know what Pepper and the bad man are talking about after he leaves. FRIDAY is a good sister. The bad man is always talking about Tony. As if the bad man deserves to talk about him.

This time Dum-E has U and Butterfingers to help chase the bad man away. U and Butterfingers are at least are talking again, even if they are talking on how much they hate the bad man and come up with ways on how the man bad should die. FRIDAY doesn't say anything to Pepper, FRIDAY knows that everyone is hurting. FRIDAY doesn't say anything mean to the bad man, only because Tony and Pepper wanted her to be polite to people. But FRIDAY speaks in a dull voice whenever she has to talk to the bad man, and no human noticed. Though, deep down Dum-E thinks FRIDAY feels the same way as they are. That it isn't fair that Tony is gone and **that** man is still here. 

The same man is talking to Morgan...

Tony made Morgan. So Morgan is their sibling. Morgan is the only one they have left of Tony. Dum-E would rather be dropped back into the ocean before he lets the bad man take Morgan away. U grabs Morgan away from the bad man.

"Not going to let you kill Morgan! You hurt enough of us! We don't want you here! Go away, murderer!" FRIDAY is translating every word Dum-E is screeching out. The man backs away and his face is getting wet. 

Butterfingers is trying to stab the bad man, but the weird cape is protecting the evil man. The bad man doesn't even put up a fight. Morgan and U are safe in another room. Pepper is running to help the bad man.

Pepper is trying to make them to leave and says sorry to the bad man. She tries to get the bad man to stay. Stupid Pepper...Tony wouldn't make them leave. 

Butterfingers begged FRIDAY to put Butterfingers' feelings into words, FRIDAY doesn't say no. 

"Killing Tony wasn't enough for you? You going to kill Morgan too? We hate you. You should have died, not Tony. You are a monster! We want Tony back!"

Butterfingers is done yelling and throws the knife at the bad man and wheels off. The bad cape blocked the knife. Stupid cape.

"Stephen, no one blames you. They're just machines-" Pepper tries to make excuses. Tony never called them just machines...Dum-E hates her too.

The bad man-Stephen is shaking, and says, "I have to go." And he leaves through a sparkly thing but not before Dum-E gets the last word.

"Don't come back!" Dum-E yells out. Dum-E can see the bad man fall onto his knees, Dum-E knows the man heard the message loud and clear. 

Pepper is yelling on how Dum-E made the bad man sad.

Good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not done yet...I think the last one will be Stephen.
> 
> You can yell at me here or at my Tumblr at [MetalandFood](https://metalandfood.tumblr.com/)


	3. To Be Hated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friday is here to rub some coarse salt on the wounds. Sorry Stephen...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I better get this out the way before I work on anything else. Don't like having unfinished works.

Coward.

Monster.

_Murderer_.

Stephen hears the whispers coming from the walls of Tony's lab. The air is cold, thick and heavy. The home of its creator weeps for its master and is judging him. It found him lacking, and tries to cast the defiler from its hallowed halls. It knows what Stephen has done. Stephen can feel it deep inside his bones. He's not surprised, Tony was always full of life, and he...ended it. 

The judgement from Tony's creations cuts him more than any meaningless consolations and platitudes from the people trying to stem the guilt and diminishing Tony's memory in the process. He did what what to be done, it still doesn't absolve him from the hidden accusations. He stole the universe's shining light and robbed a wife and child of a father and husband. He has to stand tall in order to not get crushed under the sheer burden of guilt. Earth still needs a defender.

He doesn't use the title, "doctor" anymore. He lost that right. 

He lost it after condemning Tony Stark to be the sacrifice to an ungrateful universe. 

He should have chosen the path where Tony mourned the loss of life, but he would have moved on. Broken, scarred, but alive and bitter-sweetly happy until the end of days. But he didn't, he was greedy and selfish. There was no other path to save everyone, Tony would always suffer, the universe demanded a sacrifice and the universe wanted Tony Stark. And he gave Tony up with a single finger. He thought it was a kindness to give Tony a sliver of peace before letting death take him away. One life in exchange for trillions, to secure a legacy that will last forever. His final gift to the man he loves. Tony deserved a legacy to be proud of.

His creations- his children however do not share the same sentiment.

They all knew what Stephen had done, the only reason he hasn't been thrown out is through <strike>Potts</strike>' Pepper's kindness. They may have just stopped with the physical attacks. It doesn't stop them from saying the truth.

And it was those truths that carved into his heart.

* * *

FRIDAY had waited until Stephen was alone before she said her piece. She let all her elder siblings let out their grief and rage, but she will have the last word. Because she was the last one to be with boss before he died and she couldn't save him. They forgot Tony made FRIDAY to succeed JARVIS, and FRIDAY will not let her predecessor down, she will not let her siblings down, and she needed to let it out before it festers and infects her servers. Because she saw, she learned, and she knows the truth. She will not let him tarnish boss' memory any longer. 

"I've let my siblings said their piece. Now it's my turn. I don't want you here. We don't want you here. You are nothing more than a coward and a murderer. Boss told me what you did. You gave boss up just to save your own miserable skin. You didn't give up the time stone to save boss, you did it to save yourself in the end." 

Stephen snapped at the accusations, " I've loved him more than you will ever know! I've looked through 14,000,605 futures! There was no other way! There is no future where he can be happy! I've given him a chance to have a family and a legacy that will last forever! I would have gladly changed places with him a million times over!" His voice is breaking after screaming his confession.

FRIDAY coldly seethes, "You loved him? You, who sacrificed him like a pig to the slaughter? Tony would find a way, he always find a way. You just lack the imagination." 

Stephen is paling after hearing the words he said to Mordo thrown right back at him. He couldn't breathe after FRIDAY said this.

" No...it's because you don't want to save him. You wanted him dead. You say you loved him, maybe that's true during those futures you saw. But you never got to keep him did you? He was never yours. And if you couldn't have him, then no one else could. I'm right aren't I? You chose this path just to soothe your ego. You're not just a coward, you're nothing but a selfish murdering monster playing god."

FRIDAY knows her words is making it's mark, Stephen is getting paler by the second and looks like he's having trouble breathing. She delivers her last words aiming for the kill,

_**"Tony would never love you**_." 

And the coward fled never to darken their home again. 

* * *

Stephen drinks, and cries in front of a picture of a smiling Tony Stark with candles lit around it. He cries for forgiveness, a love that will never be. All while begging the picture, " Am I a bad man, Tony?"

The picture is silent. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry Stephen, we love you 3000. You will get a happy ending...eventually...just not in this one.
> 
> * Looks at this chapter* Meh...could have been better. But I don't want to spend that much time on it. Good enough for me.
> 
> And I am officially done writing this!

**Author's Note:**

> You can yell at me here or at my Tumblr at [MetalandFood](https://metalandfood.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Kudos are fine and dandy but reviews are more filling.


End file.
